HERBERHOLZ: Woodland area boys basketball is clearly improved

Basketball fans in the area who had a chance to visit the Buck Bailey Tournament this weekend could enjoyably exclaim the phrase young Woodlanders use as a show of homegrown pride.

You know: the WOO!

Get excited, because hoops seems to be returning to town and Woodland High's annual tournament showed that bountifully. You could tell by how competition the field was this season, including the fourth-place Wolves plus Pioneer and Woodland Christian.

Just ask Dave England, official statistician from this and last year's tournaments.

"I think it is better than last year. For the most part it seems to be more even," said England, who has acted as Woodland JV coach as recently as two seasons ago. "Roseville is better, but everybody else is pretty much the same talent pool I'd say."

So leave behind the lamenting over a limited basketball disciples. Forget the formulaic fodder about a hole in hoops-related happiness.

Well, before you do, it could be productive to understand the problem.

"The problem with basketball in Woodland is, kids play year-round baseball, they play football when they're young -- but there's no real program for basketball," England said. "It's not very competitive. A lot of the Sacramento schools have leagues in their elementary schools, which is great because they're already playing basketball. We're at a disadvantage over most schools because they all play basketball more than we do."

Woodland Christian coach Justin smith agreed.

"We've just got to get them playing more," he said. "Every team that we play that has guys that play year-round and we don't, it's noticeable."

Which is why Smith praised Robert Galindo for opening the only AAU program around, WDLD, and said he wants to start another team this summer.

"I think in a town of 60,000 you're going to get 25 kids in the whole town that are ages 15 to 18 that love basketball," Smith said. "I think that that's there, and there's some potential to grow that."

The base will be players like Patriots Gabriel Torres and Gerry Palomera, Cardinals Dillon Milton and Robbie Miller, Wolves Armando Madueno and Sammy Flores. Each of them, among others, clearly focuses on hoops.

"I've got enough kids that are interested in just focusing on basketball that I'm going to make that an option for them," said Smith of his potential AAU team, unnamed as of yet. "Everyone else, they just play their high school season, so ... I feel like we have a pretty productive three months of basketball, and then it's like, OK that's over."

Unfortunately for basketball boosters, the Buck Bailey is over. It featured some fundamental play and some fantastic players.

"There's a lot better individual players in this tournament than there were last year," said Woodland coach Garrett Sanow, who presided over the tourney along with Wolves athletic director Amanda Lopez. "Every team has a guy that's actually good."

Like Napa's Ryan Imhoff, a forward who dunked twice Thursday including on an alley-oop. Like Valley's Michael Murphy, a point guard who can tear through a defense. Like Roseville's Matt Tawlks, who dropped 32 points Friday.

Like Torres and Milton, who squared off with each other in the Patriots-Cardinals seventh-place game Saturday.

"I played with Dillon at AAU," Torres said, explaining why he defended his hoops-hyped counterpart. "It feels like one of those things where I gotta guard him because I know how he plays. It was a battle."

There are hints of a secret society of Woodland shot-makers, skip-passers, steal-mongers. An underground of blacktoppers, a contingent of court-walkers.

Woodland Christian's Chance Kenealy would like to join.

"It's definitely my main sport," the Cardinal said. "I've played plenty of football, but I didn't feel the connection with football that I do with basketball. Being a 6-foot-7 punter and wide receiver is just not my thing."